Through the Attics of Hallstatt

Hallstatt history begins at 777 CE when Duke Tassilo III of Bavaria in a document from that time mentioned salt production at the headwaters of the Traun River, which feeds Lake Hallstatt. The salt mines are located in the mountain right above the Downtown Hallstatt and attract many tourists. Tourists are told that Hallstatt is the site of “the world’s oldest pipeline”, which was constructed 400 years ago from 13,000 hollowed out trees. Until the late 19th century, it was only possible to reach Hallstatt by boat or via narrow trails. The land between the lake and mountains was sparse, and the town itself exhausted every free patch of it. Access between houses on the river bank was by boat or over the upper path, a small corridor passing through attics. The first road to Hallstatt was only built in 1890, along the west shore, partially by rock blasting.